Visitors Can Now Shop at Top Design Centers with an In-House Professional Consultant and Buy at a Considerable Discount

Design centers must walk a fine line between accessibility and impenetrability, between tolerating the distraction of nonprofessionals who are “just looking around, thank you” and taking care of business. No wonder they often look like urban fortresses. Moats and portcullises aren’t necessary: A simply worded sign, Open to the Trade Only, has usually sufficed to discourage casual browsers and ensure that these citadels of style retain their mystery.

Or at least that’s the way things used to be. As consumers generally become more knowledgeable about the elements of design, these centers are reaching out to the public, with the result that everybody wins. Showrooms sell more pieces, designers make new client contacts, and nonprofessionals get a chance to consult with the industry’s top experts as they make decorating decisions. Here is an overview of four design centers that are leading the way.

Consumers can tour showrooms and make purchases at 15 percent above wholesale.

The WashingtonDesign Center Situated two blocks south of the National Air and Space Museum, The Washington Design Center serves the capital’s decorating community with nearly 70 showrooms occupying 380,000 square feet. As part of the center’s Dial-a-Designer service, decorators carry pagers as they go about their business on the showroom floors. When a consumer arrives, a designer is paged to serve as his or her personal guide for a free half-hour tour. Designers are happy to advise on specific decorating problems or assist with purchases. More than a quarter of the showrooms allow consumers to browse; the Designer Index, on the center’s retail level, is a library featuring more than 75 oversize portfolios of work by some of the mid-Atlantic’s region’s leading decorators, architects, landscape designers and commercial space planners. 300 D St. SW, Washington, DC 20024; 202-646-6108.

San FranciscoDesign Center With more than 100 showrooms in three buildings, the San Francisco Design Center is in the city’s energetic design district south of Market Street. Designer-led tours of the center are free, though a donation with a suggested minimum of $25 is requested; proceeds go to a charity that designs offices for nonprofit organizations. Several buying services exist that allow visitors to make purchases from showrooms at significant discounts, or they can buy items via their designer liaisons during their showroom tours. The facility is open to the public during regular business hours, and designer portfolios are on view. 2 Henry Adams St., San Francisco, CA 94103; 415-490-5800.

Pacific Design Center Like the movie and television studios nearby, the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California, is happy to host visitors. But at the same time it wants to make perfectly clear that its primary purpose is to conduct business. Toward this end, it exercises a little more control over public access to its bounty. At $100 an hour, the center’s buying service doesn’t come cheap, but consumers willing to fork over the fee can tour showrooms and make purchases at 15 percent above wholesale—a discount not as steep as a designer’s, perhaps, but still significant, considering what many of these luxury items sell for on the retail market. Some showrooms hold sample sales that are open to the public, and various events throughout the year offer visitors an opportunity to get inside free of charge. The center’s lecture series is attended largely by members of Southern California’s design community, but 30 seats are reserved at each event for the general public. 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90069; 310-657-0800.

DCOTA At close to 800,000 square feet, Florida’s Design Center of the Americas, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, can certainly seem like an intimidating place to visit. But few design centers work as hard as this one does to make consumers feel welcome. A free, guided two-hour tour of the facility is available through the Designer on Call program, whereby decorators assist guests by consulting on projects and arranging purchases. Showroom sales are regular events, and the public is welcome to buy through a designer. For a small fee, a designer will even work with a buyer on creating a CAD (computer-aided design) drawing of an individual room, to help him or her visualize different kinds of furnishings and styles. A clearance center offers markedly discounted items from the center’s 150 showrooms. 1855 Griffin Rd., Dania Beach, FL 33004; 954-920-7997.